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Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and
said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age."
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August 24
Gift of Evangelism
Our Lord's instructions to go
and make disciples of all nations is not limited
to just those who are gifted evangelists.
But our modern translations do this passage a
disservice as well. We read "go" as an
imperative that we must really get out and do
it. Instead, this passage is better
translated "as you are going."
In other words, you should be
evangelizing wherever you are. People with
this gift do this naturally without feeling
uncomfortable or a need for prodding.
I was taking a preaching
class a few years ago and one guy stood out
above the rest. My problem was that he
came across as too polished and it seemed very
fake like the guys on TV you don't know whether
to trust.
My opinion changed when I had
lunch with him. He was genuine. He
struck up a conversation with everybody and
prayed with two or three people right there in
the restaurant.
If you have the gift of
evangelism it doesn't mean you have to get up
and move or go overseas. Your backyard is
your mission field. The restaurant and
grocery store is your missions field.
Everywhere you go you'll find people who need
Christ. Your job is to reach them with the
good news. |
